Considered the biggest art fraudster of the 20th century by the British police, John Myatt was a former art teacher who re-produced over 200 works by the Surrealists, the Cubists and the Impressionists. He created paintings with materials such as emulsion mixed with KY jelly, which were sold for thousands of pounds by London auction houses. Many of his paintings have still not been traced.

2. Elmyr de Hory

Hungarian-born forger Elmyr de Hory is believed to have produced over 1,000 fake paintings including copies of those of Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani and Renoir that have been sold to galleries all over the world. De Hory was never charged with forgery, as the authorities could never produce any evidence of the same.

3. Han Van Meegeren

One of the most ingenious forgers of the 20th century, this Dutchman faked Johannes Vermeers, among many others. He bought 17th-century canvases and mixed paints to authentic formulas to give the canvases the right look and feel. He also came up with the system of using phenol formaldehydes that made the works look 300 years old. He was finally convicted of forgery and sentenced to a year in prison.